Joseph Calleja

JOSEPH CALLEJA A tribute to Mario Lanza CD 4783531

. . . the Maltese tenor has certain techniques to make sure his amazing voice is at its best.

Interview /
Classic FM (London) / 05. September 2012

. . . Calleja is a world-class operatic tenor who has a wonderful way with Verdi, this sophisticated 'light music' brings out an irresistible 'open-heartedness' in him. The top note rings; the sentiment gushes; the air vibrates with passion. It's magic.

. . . the voice is burnished and focuesd; the top notes . . . unforced; the legato tone garnished with saccharine slithers but not sloppy . . . these throbbing ballads will delight Calleja's fans.

Record Review /
Richard Morrison,
The Times (London) / 08. September 2012

. . . a powerful, flexible and fine voice he certainly has . . . it's the orchestration, and Steven Mercurio's conducting of the BBC Concert Orchestra, that makes this so worth hearing: lush, full-blown and hugely atmospheric. A definite best buy.

Record Review /
Alexander Bryce,
Scotsman / 02. December 2012

With his light, free voice and his rapid vibrato, he sounds like singers from more than a hundred years ago . . . this tribute to one of Calleja's favorite singers may be enough to win him quite a few converts . . . conductor Steven Mercurio's arrangements . . . are fabulously full-blown mementoes of a vanished musical age. It's undeniably thrilling to hear lush 1950s favorites such as "Be My Love" and "Because You're Mine" performed by singer and orchestra with such freedom and refulgence . . . "Arrivederci, Roma" has an intro in Italian and the familiar chorus in English, with Calleja soaring nicely into his upper range and climaxing with a lovely diminuendo . . . ["The loveliest night of the year"]: Calleja delivers it with full investment and no apologies, aided by the sweeping arrangement and Mercurio's equally effusive conducting . . . In "Nessun dorma," we get the opportunity to hear the opening lines sung tor once in light, soft, dreamy tones that match Puccini's accompaniment. Calleja has no trouble punching out the forte high notes of the climax; the same holds true for his "Cielo e mar" from "La Gioconda". The sense of charm and longing he expresses in "Amor ti vieta," from Giordano's "Fedora", leaves one wishing it was not one of the shortest tenor arias in opera . . . Most memorable is the haunting "Parlami d'amore, Mariu," by Cesare Andrea Bixio, an international hit during the mid-twentieth century but now almost forgotten. It's good to have it back.

. . . he has charisma and charme, a natural sensuous presence and tantalising vocal qualities: a swift vibrato, a soft tonal touch, a stout middle register plus free flooding height with a timbre of exquisite colourfulness. To sum up: Joseph Calleja's new CD with Mario Lanza's hits goes well with easy-going summer life, a glass of red wine in the evening breeze paired with a pinch of Granada we can dream ourselves to the Mediterranean.

Although he audibly has a different timbre than Lanza, Joseph Calleja sounds just as mellifluous in his own way -- but he also always -- maybe due to his fine, swift vibrato paired with the brilliance of his voice -- hits the slightly nostalgic tone like a singer from a different time . . . For many, another highlight of the CD should be Rossini's tarantella "La danza" . . . [Calleja] presents a fiery "Granada" and Ponchielli's "Cielo e mar" as well as Puccini's "Nessun dorma" sounds very sensitive and with beautiful and hovering brightly coloured sound arcs. This is especially true for "Amor to vieta" from "Fedora", one of the most beautiful pieces on the CD with his abundance of nuances and his soulful and subtle expressivity. Diehard Lanza fans especially get their money's worth in the canzoni: Original orchestrations were reconstructed here allowing the initial arrangements to be heard in Tosti's "A vucchella" and "Pariami d'amore, Mariù" and Rascel's "Arrivederci Roma". Calleja sings these folksy songs vividly and lightly with spirited passages that alternate with revelling melody phrasing. The soft versatile vibrato voice caresses the ear so much in "Pariami d'amore, Mariù" and "A vucchella" that one wishes to have had more of these samples. And the sensitive pieces "You Never Walk Alone" and "Because" are a nostalgic conclusion of this very fine CD that is accompanied masterfully by the BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of Steven Mercurio.

It is astonishing how similar Mario Lanza and Joseph Calleja sound. Joseph Calleja almost cultivates the golden era of Belcanto singing with his bright, clear tenor -- old-fashioned in the best sense and stylistically confident. Anyone who experienced this time personally can revel delightfully in nostalgia. And those who did not know this world before can entrust themselves fully to Calleja's authentic singing.

After the thrilling enjoyment of this CD I can only advise every voice aficionado with a weakness for nostalgia and big emotions not to hesitate for long and let themselves be kidnapped by the currently best Italian tenor . . . [The arrangements,] most of them by Steven Mercurio who significantly contributes to the sparkling overall impression with his dash and dedication, are guided by the taste of that era . . . I do not hesitate to again bring coals to Malta and to repeatedly rave about this wonderful voice: A smooth, mellifluous tenor with excellent heights and exquisite phrasing taste and on top of that indulgingly beautiful. Buy! Buy! Buy!

A CD to die for . . . Joseph Calleja sings all this beautifully, with mellifluousness, with devotion and with the greatest amount of emotion. The BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Steven Mercurio are ideal partners. And one sometimes believes to be hearing Lanza himself.